Available today on Nintendo Switch and mobile devices, Pokémon Home is The Pokémon Company’s latest controversial foray into cloud-based monster storage.
Promising more features than previous 3DS-based app Pokémon Bank including mobile trading and the Global Trading System, Pokémon Home acts as a bridge between generations of mainline games. We covered some of the features of the service when they were unveiled in January. You can use a premium Home subscription to send your monsters from Pokémon Sun/Moon/Ultra Sun/Ultra Moon into the cloud via Bank, and then into the Let’s Go games or Sword/Shield if they are obtainable – it’s a little convoluted. Luckily, Nintendo of Europe created this handy infographic that makes things perfectly clear…
…oh.
The app itself is typically slick and colourful as we’ve come to expect from Nintendo’s mobile offerings. You are greeted by a new, groovy Professor Oak named “Grand Oak” who gives you one of the Kanto starters as a welcome present. A helpful guide named Poké Boy shows you around the app’s screens, explaining the different ways to trade and store your Pokémon. On top of your starter Pokémon from Oak, a free Pikachu is waiting happily in a box for you to collect. At this stage you can’t interact with the Pokémon beyond checking their stats or shifting them around.
There’s also a “Challenges” feature, where you earn Pokémon Points by collecting specific types of Pokémon or using specific Poké Balls. You use the points to unlock cosmetic stickers and wallpapers for your profile page.
As an incentive to migrate from Bank to Home, the Premium Bank service is currently free for 30 days. Pokémon GO connectivity is planned in future, as is the Battle Data feature which lets you check out stats on competitive tournaments in Sword and Shield.
At the time of writing I’ve only used the app on Android, but there are some separate features that are only available in the Nintendo Switch version. Using your Nintendo Account you can link the two versions, ensuring your creature collection is available wherever you go.
The paid subscription is available for purchase as well, setting you back $24.99 for a year of premium Pokémon Home access. You can get the free app on the Switch eShop, on the App Store, and on Google Play. Will you be subscribing to Pokémon Home, or jumping into the free app right away? Let us know! Don’t forget to follow Checkpoint Gaming on Facebook, as well as Twitter and Instagram!
About the Author
David McNamara
he/him or they/them
David is a proudly queer performing artist and software developer. He spends most of his downtime with a controller in his hands and a lazy beagle on his lap.
